1. Field
An apparatus and a method relate to an image forming apparatus and a control method thereof forming an image on a printing medium, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus and a control method thereof employing an option box module such as a mail box module classifying an printing medium output from an image forming apparatus main body to selectively load.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus is an apparatus forming a visible image by a developer, an ink, etc. on a printing medium, and is generally embodied by a printer, an electronic copier, a multifunction device, etc. The image forming apparatus may mount an option box module of various types to an image forming apparatus main body to expand a function of the main body, and there is a mail box module for post-processing a printing medium output from the main body in the option box module.
A plurality of mail box modules applied to the image forming apparatus are stacked to have a plurality of steps with respect to the main body to be coupled. Each mail box module includes an output tray in which a printing medium is loaded, and a guide selectively guiding a printing medium output from the main body to the output tray. Also, the main body module includes a driving unit driving the guide, and a microprocessor controlling the driving unit.
If the microprocessor of each mail box module determines that an identifying ID information received from the main body corresponds to the mail box module itself, the microprocessor controls an operation of the guide so that a printing medium can be output to the output tray itself.
However, in the conventional configuration, to control the driving unit of each mail box module, it is necessary to mount the microprocessor having a high cost. As the number of the mail box module coupled to the main body increases, the cost burden by the microprocessor increases.
In directly controlling the driving unit of each mail box module by a controller of the main body without installing the microprocessor to each mail box module, the configuration of the controller of the main body becomes complicated. Also, since a signal line is disposed by each driving unit from the controller of the main body, the wiring configuration becomes complicated, and an additional expansion of the mail box module is difficult.